Odense, Denmark Odense, Denmark Tourist Office Tel: 63 75 75 20 Population: 158,678 (2009) Odense is the 3rd largest city in Denmark The name 'Odense'comes from the Norse god Odin Located on the island of Funen (Fyn) Egeskov Slot is 28km south of the city Odense is 160km west of Copenhagen (København) Things to see and do in Odense Facts Odense is the 3rd biggest city in Denmark, and used to be the traffic nerve centre of Denmark. Odense was also once the centre of public administration and trade. The original name for Odense is "Odins", which means ‘Odin’s Sanctuary’. Odin is considered to be the most important God in Old Norse mythology. Prior to the acceptance of Christianity ‘Old Norse Mythology’ was the main pagan religion throughout Scandinavia. Odense was named ‘Odin’s Sanctuary’ because the town was considered a sanctuary for people who worshiped Odin. Generally the city considers itself to be a somewhat forgotten part of Denmark.

Many tourists unfortunately drive right past Odense on their way to or away from Copenhagen (København). This is unfortunate because Odense is well worth a visit. Odense makes much ado about their most famous citizen, Hans Christian Andersen , even though he only lived in Odense until he was 14 years old, and even though Hans Christian himself never spoke well of his impoverished beginnings in Odense. Neither of these facts has deterred the city from expressing great pride that Hans Christian was born in their city. Odense has many quality museums and galleries. There are many pedestrian streets, good restaurants, and several interesting churches. The old town of Odense has more than its fair share of well preserved buildings which gives you a good idea about how life was in Odense during the Middle Ages. Approximately 28 km south of Odense is Egeskov Castle (Egeskov Slot) which is considered to be one of Europe’s best preserved castles surrounded by a moat. Anyone visiting the island of Funen (Fyn) should take the time to visit this extraordinary castle. The castle grounds are quite simply beautiful and there are many different impeccably manicured gardens.

The castle grounds also have a wide variety of museums to suit anyone’s interests, including an automotive museum, a motorcycle museum, several vintage flying machines, and museum dedicated to the history of agriculture. History Archaeological evidence suggests that Odense has been inhabited since the Stone Age. However, the first documented mention of Odense dates back to the year 988 when the town is mentioned in a letter from the German emperor Otto the 3rd. The letter gave the church in Odense exemption from taxes, and selected the city as a bishop's domicile. It is for this reason that the town celebrated its 1000 anniversary in 1988. Part of the celebration involved the cultivation of a new forest named "The Thousand Year Forest" (Tusindårsskoven). It is clear that Odense grew quite quickly after it had first been mentioned in 988. In 1070, a mere 82 years later Odense was commonly being referred to as being a big city. In 1086, King Canute IV of Denmark (Knud den Hellige) was murdered in the former Church of St. Alban by peasants who were unhappy with the high taxation in the city.

Canute IV is commonly thought of as being the last Viking king. The Albani Church no longer exists, however there has continued to be a church on the location since approximately 900. The current church is called St. Canute's Cathedral (Odense Domkirke or Sct. Knuds Kirke), and the crypt holds the remains of Canute and his brother Benedict. After Saint Canute's death he was recognized as the patron saint of Denmark by the Catholic Church. This had the effect that during the Middle Ages the shrine of Saint Canute inside Saint Canute's Cathedral was visited by many pilgrims. During the 18th century an enormous project was undertaken which would dramatically change the city. An 8 kilometre long channel was built from the Odense Harbour to Odense Fjord. The construction of this channel turned Odense into a real port city, and commerce and the population increased dramatically. In 1865 a railway was built across Funen which would also have great effects on Odense’s commerce. Since 1966 Odense has been known as a university city. The city is also has an Opera and a Symphony Orchestra.

Since the 1960's Odense has been the home of many trade shows at the enormous exhibition centre (Odense Congress Center). 2005 marked a special year in Odense as the city celebrated the 200 anniversary of the birth of Hans Christian Andersen. 2008-12-10T02:00:31.928+01:00 Odense River <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053288525057820754" /></a><br /><br />This picture was taken back in November 2006 - the last time I took pictures for this blog! I've returned because of a few really nice comments I got from people, asking to see more of Odense.

For everyone who commented: these are for you!<br /><br />Now, it's actually REALLY sunny so I plan on going out later to take some pictures around Seden Syd... which is not TECHNICALLY in Odense (it's right outside) but their addresses there have Odense in them. Also, I'm here right now at a friends house, so its a good opportunity for you to see ALL of Odense :)<br /><br />Anyway, the picture above was taken on a bridge over the Odense river. In summer or winter (though definitely more so in Summer) this river is just so pretty, as well as the path and bridges along it. It's great for cycling in the summer and I even saw a wedding happening next to it once! I'll make sure to take some beautiful pictures of it in the summer a.s.a.p!

Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:31.697+01:00 Seden Syd <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053297703402932322" /></a><br /><br />As promised before, I would post pictures from Seden Syd, where my boyfriend and I have some friends.<br /><br />It's really hard to describe Seden Syd and the people who live here. It's a new development and it has all kinds of buildings: houses, bungalows, small apartment complexes. And the people who live here are just as varied. There's a lot of children's playgrounds placed around the development and I've noticed quite a few families with children living here. There's also singltons, young couples, old couples.. really there's everyone.

I chose this picture because it shows one of the children's playgrounds in the background and someone's motorcycle in the foreground. It shows how varied the residents are here.<br /><br />Seden Syd is about 7km outside the center of Odense and it doesn't take long to drive here. There's buses running here, about 4 every hour. It's a bit out of the way but still easy to get to Odense from there. Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:31.470+01:00 Spring River <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5053697891275704434" /></a><br /><br />"Spring" in Danish is "Forår" and it literally means "pre/before year".

As promised, I would show you what the river in Odense looks like in springtime. This picture was actually taken by my boyfriend, Johannes, earlier today.<br /><br />As you can see, there are more signs of wildlife around and things are slowly starting to blossom and grow. It's really pretty... but summertime is still the best time to walk or bike along it! :P Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:31.310+01:00 Fyn Bus <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057391027670903714" /></a><br /><br />Fyn Bus is the bus service which operates cream-colored buses all over the island of Fyn (or Funen, in English). It's quite cheap and you can get really awesome deals with bus cards.

It's what bus service I take to work every day (I work near Nyborg, which is on the east coast of Fyn).<br /><br />This picture was taken at Odense train station, at the Fyn Bus depot. Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:31.144+01:00 Moon During the Day <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5057841977762147250" /></a><br /><br />This may not seem weird to some of you, depending on which country you live in, but I found it VERY strange once I moved here to Denmark.<br /><br />Sometimes, especially in the Spring/Summer time, you can actually see the moon during the entire day... like, when the sun is shining!

The only time you'd ever see this in England is MAYBE for half an hour in the very early morning, just as the sun was rising, but then the moon would quickly disappear until nighttime again.<br /><br />I had it explained to me that this is quite common in Denmark. Johannes was actually surprised at MY surprise! I still think its cool, though, so I snapped this shot of the moon in the clear blue sky at about 5pm today while waiting for a bus. Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:31.033+01:00 Odense City Dump <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058401362892712898" /></a><br /><br />This is the entrance of the Odense City Dump (looking from the inside of people trying to enter).

To even enter the dump, you need your Fyn card which every Danish person and anyone with a CPR number (like a social security or national insurance number) is issued. You put it in the machine, like a credit card, and the barrier opens, allowing you access.<br /><br />The dump is nothing special; just a load of skips and bins like any other old dump. But I thought I'd explain the process of actually getting IN ;) Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:30.851+01:00 Odense River Path <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058402342145256402" /></a><br /><br />I post quite a bit of the Odense river area, but that's just because it's so hard to describe.

As you walk - or cycle - along it, it constantly changes into something even more beautiful. This picture shows the path that typically runs the length of it (or some of it, anyway). As you can see, it's perfect for bike riding which is what tons of people do all-year around.<br /><br />Anyway in other news, I'm off to Germany (Danish: Tyskland) today! :D Johannes and I are driving down there to get some cheap bulk items, like beer and cola (I'm a bit addicted to Cola Zero at the moment... so sad...) But it's only a one-day thing, so we'll be back this evening.

Erin 2007-04-29T05:51:00.000+01:00 2008-12-10T02:00:30.673+01:00 <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5058708225421110242" /></a><br /><br />Danish buildings, if you haven't noticed, are really beautiful and often have really nice brickwork. I love the kind of houses (or in some cases, apartments) that look like they've been literally chopped off and just have a huge brick side. Sometimes, if the exposed brick is in a trafficked (sp?) area, they'll paint advertisements on them.

Or even just pieces of art, to decorate the gap in the city.<br /><br />This was taken early morning of part of the music school across the street. Oh and this building is not painted; it's the shadows of the trees from the rising sun :) Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:30.317+01:00 WW2 Bunker <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059303752701471730" /></a><br /><br />Literally across the street from our house, there is a WW2 bunker. If you look closer underneath all the bushes, there's a concrete thing on the ground. That used to be the entrance but they sealed it up LONG ago.

There is no way to get into it now (at least, no way the public knows of).<br /><br />I just think its cool that there's this whole underground chamber right across the road from us. There's two other bunkers that I know if here in Odense (although the Danes didn't exactly NEED them during the war); one of which you can actually go into. Maybe I'll post some pictures of that one next... Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:29.721+01:00 Straight Roads <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059576113757580290" /></a><br /><br />I don't know what else to call this post...

basically, the picture is of the road which goes <span style="font-style:italic;">straight</span> to one of the churches in the city center. It's interesting, because there are probably around 3-4 (maybe more) roads coming from completely different areas which are so long and so straight that you can see the churches from miles back, kind of like a beaconing into the city center.<br /><br />I'm sure it's a very old design, to guide the old Odense locals to church every Sunday but when you're driving from very far away, it looks cool when you can spot the churches.<br /><br />It's not too hard to see, but see if you can see the church at the end of the long road :)<br /><br />P.S. Sorry for crappy quality; it was taken in a car and our windshield is in DESPERATE need of cleaning! Hehe. Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:29.587+01:00 Sct. Knud's Kirke (St.

Canute's Church) <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5059736470656543762" /></a><br /><br />Okay so I can't sleep and TECHNICALLY it is "tomorrow", so I'm going to make an early morning post.<br /><br />This picture is of St. Knud's church in Odense. A very, VERY old church which has been built and rebuilt a number of times but is still standing quite prominently in the city center (the building you can see with the Danish flag on the left is the Town Hall).<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Saint Canute's Cathedral (Danish: Odense Domkirke or Sct. Knuds Kirke) is named after the Danish king Canute the Saint (Danish: Knud den Hellige).

Although King Canute the Saint was, historically, not much of a saint, there is an unusual reason for this nickname. Fleeing a rebellious force, the king took shelter in the Church of St. Alban's, a wooden church in Odense.<br /><br />The rebels, however, were not about to let him flee, and killed him inside the church. The story tells that he died kneeling in front of the altar, praying, although his bones, which can still be viewed, tell a different story. King Canute was struck low in the abdomen by a spear while he was standing facing his attacker, and most likely killed by a blow to the head which fractured the skull.<br /><br />Having been killed in a church by rebellious subjects, he was declared a saint in 1101, mostly for political reasons, and against the wishes of his successor and half-brother, Olaf I. Saint Canute's Cathedral was built in memory of this, although not in the same excact place as the original church.

The oldest parts of the cathedral are from the early 1300s.</span><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Source</span>: <a href="">Wikipedia</a><br /><br />The church is REALLY beautiful inside and I've seen the bones of Knud and his brother who lies next to him.

That part is not always open, though.<br /><br />Oh and also, going past the church, you can see one of the cream-colored Fyn Buses that I made a post about a couple days ago ;) Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:29.291+01:00 He-She Statue <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060121119337638946" /></a><br /><br />This is a statue that is a cross between a male and female (it has male genitals plus about 3 pairs of breasts, as far as I can remember). It lays outside the town hall in the open square area and everytime I go there, there's ALWAYS little kids climbing all over it; they love it. It's not too high off the ground and relatively easy to climb.

Plus it looks pretty cool.<br /><br />You can get another perspective of it on Odense's webcam at Fyn.dk. On the right hand side, under the Fiona Bank ad, it clearly says "WebCams". Click on "Flakhaven" and it will show you the large square where the statue is lying down, from the perspective of the Town Hall :)<br /><br />You can also take a look at other areas of Odense. But don't click on anything that says Svendborg, because that's another part of Fyn (the island that Odense is on) altogether!

Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:29.069+01:00 City Hall <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060842265821473842" /></a><br /><br />I've mentioned the City Hall many times before and it's always been in the side of pictures or blurred shots, so here is a nice clear shot of the City Hall in Odense. It looks pretty impressive, but it's pretty 'eh' inside. They have sometimes art exhibitions or special events in there. Like, for example, my boyfriends little sisters' school did a Christmas production there (not a nativity thing - more like singing Christmas songs while holding candles). There's some offices in there and the web cam I posted a link to yesterday sits on top of the top right corner of it.

It's RIGHT smack in the middle of the city center, by the shops, the churches, the market square, the He/She statue I posted about earlier.<br /><br />Here's a bit of fun trivia for you: Before I ever heard of Odense, or even Denmark (unless you know where it is, you generally don't tend to pay attention to it), I lived in a town in England called Aylesbury. It was about 25 minutes away from another town I knew about, called St. Albans, and I'd been there quite a lot. Well, it turns out, St. Albans is TWINNED with Odense and one of the reeeally old churches here is even called St. Albans church (where St. Knud was rumoured to have been killed). Hows that for freaky coincidences? Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:28.832+01:00 H.C.

Andersen Statue <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5060845912248708162" /></a><br /><br />Got another statue for you guys! This one actually sits only a few feet away from the He/She statue (I really don't know what to call that one). It's kind of a funny statue... sometimes it's not there at all. And you see the head at his feet? It's a replica of the head on the statue... sometimes thats not there either. My boyfriend says sometimes they - get this - wheel it around town! Or they wheel it away completely! I don't know where to...

But for the past 6+ months, it's been there all the time, so maybe it's here to stay this time.<br /><br />Sometimes you'll see ole' Hans holding a beer bottle or can, or something equally silly; things left by the drunk people overnight, as it's right by all the bars and - more importantly - the kebab shops! Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:28.464+01:00 Train Station <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061457515591658578" /></a><br /><br />This is the train station in Odense. Doesn't look like much, but it is pretty huge inside.

In fact, it's not just a train station, it also houses a McDonalds, a Sunset Boulevard (same as Subway, but danish), a net cafe, a cinema (also very huge), a bakery, a two clothes shops, two convenience stores (one each on the top and bottom levels), a library (again, not a small one), a coffee shop, a souviner shop... oh and of course the office where you buy tickets, not to mention 6 train tracks filled with trains going in all different directions over Denmark - and in some cases, Germany.<br /><br />Around the train station are a lot of businesses, like newspapers, and TV2 Danmark, which is a major channel here. That makes it easy for commuters, although more often commuters use this train station to go to COPENHAGEN, not come to Odense. That's just because there are larger businesses in Copenhagen and, of course, it's bigger there on the whole.<br /><br />Since the statues around Odense seem to be popular with people who read this blog, I'm going to find as many as I can throughout Odense. Trust me, there's A LOT. Danish people love commemorating with statues!

Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:28.393+01:00 A Modern H.C. Andersen Statue <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061916823689260130" /></a><br /><br />In case of you weren't aware who this H.C. Andersen person I talk about and post pictures of his statues around Odense is: he's a famous children's fairytale writer who was born here in Odense (but moved to Copenhagen in his teens, as he hated it here in Odense, and eventually died in Copenhagen). He wrote The Ugly Duckling and The Little Mermaid, just to name a couple.<br /><br />Anyway, if you couldn't already tell, the people of Odense just LOVE him here. And I mean LOVE him.

There are dozens of statues, his old house (which actually hasn't technically ever been proven that he ever lived there in the first place) has been turned into a museum, there's a festival each year on his birthday... and so on and so on.<br /><br />I was horrified, though, when they built this statue right outside the Fyens Stiftstidende (local newspaper) building, opposite the train station. It is the most... ugly, intrusive and visually offensive statue I have ever seen. Now, Hans was not a looker by any means, and they seem to make him even more ugly with this statue; his ears and nose even BIGGER. But maybe that part's just me!<br /><br />It's a huge statue of three of him entwined at the bottom in twists, instead of his legs. The only cool factor about it is that it has a neat little fountain in the middle, but it's so tiny you can barely see it. They finished building it around a year ago, maybe less. I just hate it so much. Everyone I talk to agrees.<br /><br />But I thought I'd post it to let you decide.

This is the most flattering angle I could take it from - here his nose doesn't look so big, but you get the overall gist of what it looks like.<br /><br />Tell me your thoughts on it! Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:28.078+01:00 Søstrene Grene <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062848303311514738" /></a><br /><br />I love this store. I hate saying the name of it. Søstrene Grene. I don't even know how to type how you'd pronounce it. Whenever I talk about it to someone, I have to suddenly speak very slowly and say it syllable-by-syllable, because it's just so difficult for me to wrap my tongue around.

That's because I'm a foreigner, of course.<br /><br />Anyway, this shop is so awesome. It's one of those random shops where it has everything for cheap - but instead of looking like some gaudy Wal*Mart inside, it's got a beautiful dark interior. The walls are all black with skylights shining down on you and all the products as you make your way through a maze - yes a maze - which ultimately leads you to the cash point where you pay. It's so much fun! And everything is so cheap. One of my favorite stores here in DK, for sure.<br /><br />Like I said, it is kind of random but there is a kind of theme to it all: in every shop there are home supplies (pillow cases, candles, things to decorate your home with), kitchen supplies (coffee/tea tins, things for your kitchen counters) and art things (paint, canvases, brushes) just to name a few. All the stores have these elements.

But it's scattered so much so that it's not thrown in your face, 'Ok now this is the kitchen section' (*cough* IKEA *cough*)<br /><br />Anyway, this shows the doorway that leads to the escalator which takes you up to the darkened beyond of... Søstrene Grene! :D Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:27.762+01:00 En Hyggelig Cafe <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063603182468492466" /></a><br /><br />An idea of a nice British afternoon spent eating somewhere would most likely be at a nice old pub somewhere out in the country.

If it's a particularly sunny day, you would sit outside and enjoy the view.<br /><br />The Danes have this word, "hyggelig", which you can't actually translate into English (there is no translation) but it can be used as a verb or an adjective to say that something is... that the atmosphere is comfortable, nice and comfortable. Like an evening in with your friends with candles lit everywhere, chatting and laughing with a bottle of wine - that's hyggelig. That kind of feeling, that kind of atmosphere.<br /><br />Well, the Danes love this and try to make all things as hyggelig as possible. This picture shows a nice cafe - and while it doesn't have a countryside view (this is by the town hall, facing St. Knud's church) - the cafe itself is still very welcoming and relaxing. The chairs have really nice cushions on them, the inside probably looks very modern, and there's some green plants around them. Anything to make them feel comfortable - that's hyggelig!<br /><br />I hope I've explained it well for all of you...

Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:27.441+01:00 Fyns Stiftstidende <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063262806310284450" /></a><br /><br />This is a photo of the offices of newspaper, Fyns Stiftstidende. I took a photo of it, because it has a really cool screen on the front of the building (the blue one you see in the picture) which tells you the time, the current temperature, the current news and a couple advertisements. This all loops all day, every day.

I don't even think they turn it off at night :O Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:27.340+01:00 Not A Regular Post I thought I'd take time out from my usual posting around Odense pictures - yes I know this is a CITY daily photo, but I just couldn't resist!<br /><br />One of our dogs (we have two dachshunds) gave birth to three beautiful little puppies just over 3 weeks ago and I really wanted to share the pictures with you guys. There's one boy and two little girls; I'm getting one of the girls to keep.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063656745005640914" /></a><br />And a picture of the proud mother, Darcy!

She is SO protective of them, you wouldn't believe!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5063656590386818242" /></a><br />There's Peanut on the far left, Luna on top and the boy on the right; I can't actually remember what they've called him temporarily right now. I'm getting Peanut :)<br /><br />Anyway I hope you didn't mind me posting those :) And normal posting will resume tomorrow! Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:27.007+01:00 Cafe Biografen Okay, today is a slighty bigger picture post (4 pictures!) because it's a place I really want to describe well and pictures simply do not do it justice.<br /><br />This is where my boyfriend and I ate lunch today: Cafe Biografen.

It's a very hyggelig cafe and movie theatre all in one. Except the movie theatre... it's more like small, intimate rooms (there are only 3 screens, to my knowledge) with huge comfy chairs and it only seats about 50 people - maybe even less! Very cosy.<br /><br />And the cafe is just to die for. The food is amazing and it has this theme of old Hollywood, as you can see in the last picture they have some old movie stars' pictures on the walls. The menu has things like "Bogart Burger" (which we each had yesterday) and the Monroe Brunch. Everything is very tasty and well priced for the portions you get! We love coming here - so do most of Odense :P<br /><br />And in the summertime, they set out a TON of tables and chairs outside (I forgot to include a picture of that) in the court in front of the cafe.

If you ever come to Odense, THIS is the place to visit!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064355592019274978" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064355609199144178" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt

=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064355613494111490" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064355622084046098" /></a> Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:26.243+01:00 Head Count!

<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064356674351033634" /></a><br /><br />I love this thing the city has; it's a cyclist counter. Whenever a cyclist rolls by, it counts it on the post and the lines underneath represent, like, the percentage of cyclist that week or something... I can't remember what it says :P But it's always fun to ride past it and say "Oh, I'm number 3304 today!"<br /><br />Or maybe that's just me ;)<br /><br />Do any of your cities have anything like this?

Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:26.147+01:00 Unidentified Ruins <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5064856844767489330" /></a><br /><br />This strange building - or rather the ruins of it - stands in the city center, right next to the cyclist counter which I posted a picture of yesterday. My boyfriend isn't sure what it is either, so that means it's been in ruins for AT LEAST 4 years, but to be honest, it looks like it's been in ruins for hundreds of years or something.<br /><br />Does anyone have any idea what it could be?

Maybe it's something REALLY old; you can see it used to have a chimney in it and it's right next to the two huge churches in town, not to mention the town hall and market square in front of it. Maybe it's positioning is a clue to something...? Erin 2008-12-10T02:00:25.784+01:00 Rain, rain, go away... <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href=""><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5065256147892740354" /></a><br /><br />This is what it looked like at the bus stop today... this is what it looked like pretty much all over Fyn all day!

It's so depressing, I hate heavy rain especially when I had to run around as much as I did today (work, errands, more work, and so on).<br /><br />I'm going to wait until it's sunny again until I go back to that building I posted about yesterday and take some more pictures for you guys. I'll get my boyfriend or someone to take pictures of me walking in it, too, so you can get an idea of the scale. It'd be really interesting if it gave you guys more clues as to what it could be; maybe we'd be a little closer to finding out what it was!<br /><br />In the meantime, help me wish all this rain away! Erin

Question: In which Danish city is St Canute's Cathedral?
Answer: Odense